OTR: Day 4 … Byron Bay

By the time we went to bed last night, we had a plan for today. Breakfast at a café in Grafton and then drive to Byron Bay for another overnight before our scheduled arrival in Brisbane on theOkumaya devam et
OTR: Day 5 … Brisbane

When we booked the villa at Cavvanbah, there was an offer for massages on the lanai. Why not, we thought to ourselves and booked a couple of treatments for yesterday afternoon.
Turns out that aOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Chores and Errands

We’ve visited Brisbane twice before. Once in 2017. And again on our Regatta circumnavigation earlier in our Adventures Down Under.
Thus, we have already done some sightseeing here. There’s stillOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Along the South Bank

The weather forecasters promised a day of sunshine and blue skies. And they delivered. Heat and humidity accompanied this beautiful day from the get go … even though we got an early start.
BrisbaneOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Nepalese Peace Pagoda

In South Bank, overlooking the Brisbane River, is the Nepalese Peace Pagoda … moved here in 1991 from its original location near Vulture Street.
This beautifully hand-carved building wasOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: GOMA of QAGOMA

QAGOMA stands for “Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.” It’s two art galleries under one umbrella … both located within the Queensland Cultural Centre in the South BankOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: KittyCat Cruise

There are a variety of vessels that ply the Brisbane River. Some are ferries. Some are tour boats. Even cruise ships come up the river … up to a point. At least they used to. (In 2017, InsigniaOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: QAG of QAGOMA

With rain in the forecast, we set today as a museum day. one of them worked out … the other one didn’t.
After breakfast, we used the Kurilpa Bridge to once again cross the Brisbane River to SouthOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

With the promise of sunshine and blue skies, this morning we Ubered to Mt Coot-tha. I think we saw maybe 5 minutes of those conditions. Instead, it was overcast all day … but no rain, so that was aOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: City Hall & MoB

When we were here in December 2023, we were unable to get tickets to go up the clock tower at City Hall. They were all sold out. This time, we managed to get tickets, opting for mid-afternoon to makeOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Skyline at Night

We‘ll be leaving Brisbane tomorrow. So, after dinner we went out to the Kurilpa Bridge to take a look at the skyline twinkling against the night sky.
Had we known better, we would have delayed ourOkumaya devam et
Brisbane: Around the City

With our train departure from Brisbane scheduled for 1:45p, we decided to head out for a stroll this morning.
We left our bags at the front desk and went off to stroll the Brisbane River promenade,Okumaya devam et
Spirit of Queensland to Cairns

After Cyclone Megan came ashore in the Northern Territory early last week, it left a lot of rain in its wake. Rain that caused flooding in some places across the Top End.
Suddenly, our plans to headOkumaya devam et
Welcome to Cairns

A restful night on the Spirit of Queensland.
Around 6:30a, the car attendants came around and restored the RailBeds to their daytime position. Breakfast service began at 7:00a. Why so early? BecauseOkumaya devam et
New Tower … New Room

Plop! Plop! Plop
No … it wasn’t the sound of rain on the roof. Rather, it was a slow drip from the ceiling onto the carpet in the bedroom. In an out of the way corner. Nonetheless, it was a waterOkumaya devam et
Cairns: Evening Stroll

Cairns is located in tropical Queensland. The heat and humidity this time of the year is, therefore, especially oppressive. Unless you are on the water, that is. After all Cairns is the gateway to theOkumaya devam et
Cairns: Sunrise

Woke up to a colorful sunrise and a cool morning that invited us to sit on the balcony before heading down to breakfast.
Cairns: Botanic Gardens

Today we visited the Cairns Botanic Gardens … billed as a tropical paradise. It is considered to be one of the best exhibitions of tropical plants in the country.
To make the most of the coolerOkumaya devam et
Cairns: GBR Liveaboard … No Go

Actually, the liveaboard went ahead as planned. It just did so without us.
What is a liveaboard? In Cairns, it’s when you live on a reef boat for a period of time to snorkel or dive at the GreatOkumaya devam et
Cairns: Mui’s GBR Snorkel

While I spent the day resting following the BPPV episode, Mui reluctantly left me to my own devices to go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.
I’m glad I pushed him to go. “It was the best of myOkumaya devam et
Cairns: A Soaker of a Day

It rained overnight. Quite heavy at times.
It rained most of the day. Quite heavy at times. Strong enough to obscure the horizon.
In other words, a good day to continue to recuperate. I still haveOkumaya devam et
Cairns: On the Mend

Woke up to more rain this morning! The wet season still has a month to go, so the rain is not surprising. The good news is that for at least part of the day, the temps were especially comfy. Until theOkumaya devam et
At the Cairns Airport

Checked out of Cairns Harbourside Hotel.
Uber to Cairns Airport … a short 7-minute ride.
Smooth check in for JQ924 … scheduled for a noon departure.
Now we await boarding to be called for ourOkumaya devam et
Onboard and Ready to Take Off

11:56a and we have pushed back.
Mui and I have the three seats in the exit row to ourselves.
Here’s to a safe flight.
In Darwin, NT

As is the case with Cairns, this is our third time visiting Darwin … only the first time flying in to the capital of the Northern Territory.
Our flight from Darwin was uneventful … and arrived 15Okumaya devam et
Sonia GelmanBeautiful beach!
Gezgin
Love seeing Mui getting into his beloved water
Gezgin
Oh!!! That looks wonderful. No scary things in there?
Two to TravelNot here.